Cold as Ice
by laura.lovedidi
Summary: Hans is sent back to Arendelle, after being judged in his kingdom, to work as an unpaid servant, he lives in the dungeons and is looked after by some guards when he isn't working. That isn't much of a pleasure to Elsa to have him around, putting his nose in what isn't his stuff. But what happens when they finally accept to live together in the same home ? HansxElsa 10 chapters fic
1. Frosted

The cell he's been living in for the past few months is cold as hell. As he lifts up his head, he distinguishes the frost starting to cover up the walls from the corner of the ceiling, in the darkness of his room.

_Her Majesty might be having some... troubles with her 'controlling-her-powers' thing. _he thinks, shivering as the cold becomes unbearable and he tightens the blanket around his frail, _frosted_ body.

He hears a door clacking, and another flinging open when he closes his eyes, the metallic sound still resounding in his ears. Then, all goes silent. He just waits, for a second, maybe two. When he opens them again, there she is, standing behind the the bars she's firmly gripping in her ice cold hands, leaving a trace of frost over them. He's remembering the last time he saw her being so damn beautiful. She looked _extremely_ peaceful, as if relieved of all the pain of the world, laying beside the bits of her broken ice chandelier. But now, it is different. She is far from looking - for being, even - _peaceful_. No. He can see all the problems on earth reflected upon her oh-so pale face. He stares at her angry-looking eyes, ans he's wondering if it is truly anger, or more likely_ loath_. His thin lips curl into a devilish smirk as he brings his knees closer to his chest and wraps his arms loosely around them, trying to protect himself from the _striking_ cold she generates by her mere very presence.

"So, what owes me the pleasure of _Her Majesty_'s visit ?" the auburn-haired man inquires, his head leaning back against the stone wall behind him. "I thought that you— what did you say ?" he pretends to be wondering, his eyes glancing away from her and staring at something invisible in the cold air. "Ah, yes. That you were 'never coming back to visit such a complete asshole, a murderous traitor who's nothing more than a 'royal shame' for his native kingdom', wasn't it ?" he sarcastically asks, gazing back right into her bright icy blue eyes.

"Nothing **but** an **unwanted** shame..." she corrects, annoyed, her voice as cold as ice. "And stop pretending that you know nothing of the reason that brought me here. I've wasted enough time with your _royal_ ass." she bitterly adds, removing her hands from the bars and crossing them on her chest.

Confusion shadows his face. He doesn't know anything about what she's speaking of, and he's hesitating between replying seriously, for once, or favouring her with one of his signature smirks. The silence filling the room makes it seem even colder than it already is, and the presence of the Snow Queen in the dungeons doesn't help that much.

He stands up and steps forward, pacing slowly in the direction of the door. He throws away the blanket he's been tightly wrapped in for hours on what acts like his bed and puts his hands on his hips.

"I don't." he mutters with a face as expressionless as a stone, standing an inch away from the bars.

"You don't ?" she ironically asks, and she takes a small step backwards.

**_I don't._**_Is she dumb or what ?_ He doesn't bother to reply because he knows she knows the answer. She knows everything, just by looking into someone's eyes. Maybe she's kind of a telepath.

What she doesn't know is that he can read onto somebody's face, too. And what he sees on hers is that it's far from being expressionless. But there's definitely not anger. There's something much more stronger, more powerful. There's hatred. And what hurts his feeling in spite of himself is that it is directed toward him. He's aware that she'll never hate somebody else as much as she hates him. But knowing this is painful for him, even if it seems completely obvious.

"You were the only one working late yesterday. The only one left alone in the kitchens." she states suspiciously, remaining calm. "There was a cake for Anna's birthday, and after you finished your day, it wasn't there anymore. It had disappeared."

"And... ?" he raises a brow at her.

She lets her arms fall to her side and sighs. "I supposed that you are the one who ate it, or, took it away, but never mind, it's not the matter, it just, _disappeared."_ she says, discreetly looking around his cell, in hope - or not ? - to find it here.

"I see... you 'supposed' it was me, or you 'were sure' I was the culprit ?"

His question catches her off guard and she lifts her eyes to look at him.

"Did you really think that your loyal guards would have let me enter my cell with a might-be-enormous birthday cake ?" he inquires, grinning an still staring right at her light blue eyes, the ones it always takes him all his strength to look away from. "They'd have adverted you, Your grace." he spits her title and moves toward her until his entire body is leaning against the bars he had forgotten that were separating them. He roughly grabs them in his hands.

She doesn't respond. She doesn't even move. She swallows the lump in her throat and asks him if he's seen anybody stealing it.

"I got out of the kitchens once, during a few minutes—" he starts, but she cuts him of before he can even finish his sentence.

"Oh, and shall you tell me what you were doing outside of the kitchens during you working hours ?" she simply asks, walking toward him and stopping only an inch away from the bars of his door.

"I went to the toilets, Milady." he declares in a mocking tone, bowing deeply. "Does Her Highness want some more details ?" he says smirking at her when she sighs exasperatedly.

"No, thank you. It will be fine." she mutters through gritted teeth as her eyes become a darker blue, dangerous, threatening.

While she is focused on his emerald green eyes, he reaches a hand between the bars and grab hers, still looking at her eyes and enjoying the surprise being seen upon her face. With a soft yet firm motion, he brings her in closer, until she herself touches the coldness of the bars as she struggles to break free fro her almost-murderer.

"What do you think you are doing ?" she yells, loud enough for him to understand that he'd better let go, but not for the guards waiting at the entrance to hear.

The widest of his smirks on his freckled face is her only answer and he deosn't seem ready to let her go. He glances at her free hand from where he can see frost spreading across the bar she's holding, trying to shove herself away from it, and from_ him_. Her cool touch on his hand starts to become colder than ice, so he finally lets go of her and steps backward. So does she. No word is spoken. She holds her hand near her chest, where it is the safest, and runs away, out of the dungeons without glancing at him ans he hears the sound of her steps slowly fading away until it's completely gone. He lets himself fall on his bed and feels the emptiness of the room, the coldness of the airs, and he stares at the frosted walls and bars where she has laid her hands on, seconds ago.

"Until soon, _My Queen_..." he whispers to himself as he covers himself with his blanket again.


	2. New Start

He hasn't expected her to come back this soon. He hasn't expected her to come back ever again. At the beginning, he knew she would visit him, someday. But after two weeks of loneliness, he has found himself doubting about it, left with his very mind and thoughts for only company in this icy cell of his.

"I've heard that you've been behaving quite well, lately." she declares, slowly opening the door under the bewildered gazes of the guards who are guarding him since she has ordered them to.

"Your Majesty—" one of them attempts to reason with her but is interrupted by her dismissive voice.

"I'll be fine. May you wait outside, please ?" she requests, but it's sounds more like a command.

The two guards exchange confused glances, but obey nevertheless.

It's the very first time she enters his cell. She's always remained _outside_, the bars separating them securely, for some reasons that seemed more than obvious for him.

He's still staring at her, just as he's accustomed to.

"I guess so..." he remarks, leaning back against the wall, hands on his hips. "It is to say that I haven't got many things to execute for these past weeks."

"You searched for it." she simply states, taking a few steps forward.

He spares her a smirk, and inquires instead. "Have you found the thief of your sister's birthday cake ?"

"Yes." she replies harshly. "It was one of the servants. We've fired him." she clarifies, and by the grimace on her face, he can say she hates to admit it.

"You would've loved to prove it was my doing, wouldn't you ?"

"I beg your pardon ?"

"You've heard well the first time I said it." he blurts out, now leaning forward, closing the distance she's been keeping between them.

"Well, forget it.. I came here for two reasons, Hans." she explained calmly. "First, there is something I wanted to know." she continues with a face devoid of any kind of emotion.

"Feel free to ask, _Your Grace_." he mocks, reaching a hand in her direction.

She steps out of his reach. "That's what I intend to do. Would you really have cut my head off if Anna hadn't come into your way ?" she demands, her fingers intertwined before her.

"You don't have a clue, do you ?" he crosses his arms on his chest and stares at her defiantly, the widest of his smirks planted on his face.

"Has anybody ever told you that it is considered rude to answer one's question with another question ?"

"You've just done the same, _Milady_."

"Ugh. Never mind. So, I want to hear it form your very mouth." she dismisses the topic and goes back to her initial question.

It's kind of amusing him, the look of exasperation she wears each times she comes to see it, as forced to visit her prisoner. And he's too busy analyzing her face and slightest move that he hesitates to answer her. _Again._

"Of course I'd have." he hisses, observing her reaction. As there's none, he keeps on going. "Maybe I'd be living with an unbearably heavy burden on my shoulders, and maybe I'd want to _die_ every day of my miserable life, and throw myself from a balcony, or whatever, I'd have done it. At this very moment. Perhaps if it had been a few minutes before, or a little while after, I wouldn't have. But the way I was feeling at _this_ moment would've tell me to end _your_ life."

The silence that follows is dreadful.

_Happy ?_ that's what his mind is yelling, wanting him to say to her as she seems not to be upset by the reality he's just spoken. A reality finally revealed.

"That's all I wanted to know." she solemnly declares. "Now I'm fixed."

He understands she doesn't want to push this topic any further. As she heads to the door, she spins around and faces him.

"I almost forgot." she begins in a half-voice. "You'll start working again tomorrow in the morning. You'll be a stable boy, neither Anna nor I want you in the castle except in this cell. Some guards will bring some proper clothes and things for you to freshen up. They'll explain to you where to go and who to find."

She gives him a quick glance by the corner of her eyes. "Try not to ruin this chance we've given you."

Before he can even open his mouth to say anything, she looks away and leaves without a word, the lock of the door clicking behind her. As the sound of her footsteps fade away, he hears some getting nearer.

_I guess it's time to face my fate !_

He doesn't move.


	3. Sunflower

Horse riding makes him feel good. For a while, he can forget than he's nothing more than a prisoner who's going to be locked up between four walls as soon as his work will be done. He still hardly understands why _Els_—the Queen trusts him enough to allow him to go out of the village with the horses he's supposed to take out for a walk, alone. No guards, no _chains_.

He could run away, escape with one of the horses of the stables and meet his freedom again, live outside like he's always wanted, breathtaking landscapes spreading before his eyes so that he won't regret anything that's happened. Splendid sunsets as the ones he's known in the the Southern Isles , and what he saw in Arendelle. And the one he's actually watching on the North Mountain, and he's wondering which are better between those back in his kingdom, and those here. Sleeping under the starry sky just like he used to as a child would be wonderful.

_Free again._

But it feels wrong, in some way. He is given a second chance, a chance to make it through without being harmed, a chance so many has longed for and never got. He isn't going to throw it all away. Although he doesn't really knows what's retaining him from acting so. The poor souls of other prisoners isn't the reason why he would accept to locked himself away from the world like a lion in a cage.

As the sun starts to bury deeper and deeper into the horizon line, the sky loses his colours and Hans brings the horse to a slow pace.

"Calm down, Sunflower, I'd rather stay on your back than end up the nose buried under that thick layer of snow. Not that I don't like snow, I enjoy it very much, but not right now." he declares nervously, realizing soon after how stupid being embarrassed around a horse is.

He turns around on the saddle, laying a hand on the mare's croup to support himself and takes a few seconds to consider the distance they've covered since they began to gallop. His eyes widen as they travel up and down the hoof marks decorating the immaculate snow. He repositions himself on the saddle, the reins in his hands, glancing at the horse's head.

"Whoa" is all he can mutter at first, "you're some of a fast runner, aren't you !" he compliments, running a hand through that mess of his thick and dirty auburn hair that covers his forehead and eyes, and he pushes it backward.

He shall think to ask the guards to freshen up, still, a prisoner can take care of himself not to look and smell like that reindeer-man who, he thinks, could take a bath more often because, contrary to him, he has got his personal bathroom in the castle.

Sunflower neighs in agreement. Hans likes that sound, He finds it cute, the only way they have to communicate. Still, he can't prevent himself to wonder if it's about their travel, or the smelling of this Christopher, if he recalls well.

"Yeah, you understand me, don't you ?" he asks in a low voice while patting the mare's neckline.

A slight move of her ears indicates that she's heard him, followed with a nod of her head. It's quite funny to see how it moves from up to down while snorting.

Horses _are better than people._

_They've always been._

They've been his only friends when his human sibling neglected him. He felt much more close to them than to his family. He used to wonder if he was born somewhere else in the forest, between stallions and mares, and if he was as wild as they were. But he understood when he grew up that he made no sense. He was indeed, as painful as it was for him to admit it, born in a family that doesn't love him.

His heart was always with the one he considered as his true brother, _Sitron_. It was for him the best thing he had ever got in his whole life. He was merely a foal, whom Hans' parents had found lost in the forest and had brought back to their thirteenth son. It was a good opportunity for them not to waste money to purchase another Fjord horse for him. Bit it didn't matter for him. It was his horse and as they grew up, they became more and more attached to one another and never left each other's side. Whenever he would appear through the main doors of the castle, the foal was there and followed him wherever he would take them, and it continued like that as the years passed by. Sometimes, it was the horse who decided where to go, and he would always go back to the stable when it was time for dinner. Hans had even tried to bring Sitron to his chambers once, but with twelve older brothers who despised him, he didn't stand a chance not to be seen, and he got severely punished.

Now where is he ? He thought he would still be in the stables here, but Sitron remains nowhere to be found, like he has escaped from this kingdom he used to call _cursed_, when he first got back here. Has his father brought it back to the Southern Isles ? He can give his whole world to find him. He has never given up on him, so he will do the same. When the time will be right, he'll have to go look for him.

Nevertheless, right now, he must admit that riding Her Majesty's mare is much appreciated from him. Just like _she _is, Sunflower is delicate and regal, she holds the posture of a true royal horse. No doubt that she's Elsa's horse. Although she runs very fast - but not as fast as Sitron, of course - she never rushes the ride and keeps a constant speed. It's a pleasure to mount her.

"Wanna go back home, Sunflower ?" he says as the castle comes in sight. "Ya !" he yells and brings he to gallop again.

It feels like flying. _Freely_. He's free from any links that will restrict his wrists and his ankles, minutes later.

And as they flee full speed to the stables, he think of the horse's name. _Sunflower_. It sounds kinda weird for some Ice Queen's horse. _Snowflake_, or _Frost_ would've be more accurate. Every name would be more accurate but _Sunflower_. He'l have to remember to question her about it when they'll meet again. But that is another thing to think of, when she'll come to visit him. That he doesn't know, she's too unpredictable, he thinks about that as he dismounts the mare and starts to pull off the saddle and the bridle.

That he'll never know.


	4. Strangers

"I brought you some decent food." he hears a disembodied yet smooth voice and lifts his gaze over to look at her.

He perfectly knows whose voice it is.

"You didn't have to, Queen Elsa." he politely declines, but reconsiders his answer when he notices the disappointed look that creeps on her face. "Thank you."

She slowly approaches him, holding out the tray for him to take it, and so he does. She folds her hands behind her back as he begins to eat, standing straight like the young Queen she is.

_The proud Queen__**they**__want her to be_. he corrects his own mind, seeing clearly what emotions lay behind the ice sculpture she could be compared to.

He can still see the broken woman who had to run away from her own kingdom on her coronation day. The one who has lived apart from the outside world her whole life but who yet knows so much about it. It feels kinda odd. Odd to know that somebody who's remained locked up for years understands the real world better than you do, when _you_ are the one who has lived in it from the day of your birth. Odd to know that, after all, being torn apart of your loved ones because you've been cursed by nobody-knows-who is part of _this_ real world.

He can feel her gaze on him while he finishes eating the local food he couldn't put a name on, it makes him uneasy. He takes a sip of his glass of fresh water before entirely drinking it. Clumsily, he hands her the tray back, failing dropping the goblet onto the ground. An awkward silence takes its place between them, and it appears to feel somehow strange for him, albeit he knows he has nothing to do with her, because she's a regnant Queen, and what is he more than a traitor imprisoned in her own kingdom ? Everybody knows he's a defeated prince who's almost murdered the Snow Queen altogether. _And_ her sister. But yet why can't he pull her away from his mind ? Why is she always torturing him inside ? Her perfect face, her body, her lips that undeniably seem to be so tender, and her _beauty_ !

_**This**__is worse than torture itself... _he frowns, desperately trying to erase his forever inappropriate notions, his darkest thoughts and desire, still about the same woman whom he cannot bring himself to cease thinking of.

He decides to break the silence instead.

"Why _Sunflower_ ?" he blurts out, glancing up into her sapphire eyes.

"Pardon me ?"

She spares him a confused look, tightening her grip on the tray she's almost forgotten she is still holding. Now, she looks even more beautif—

_No_.

"Your horse." he continues, shaking his head slightly to chase away the thought. "Why did you call her that ?" he corrects, coming to his feet to stand in front of her, arms crossed over his chest.

A sigh escapes her lips, her boredom clearly noticeable.

"She's named after my cousin." she states flatly, staring into the full emptiness of the room, just as she' accustomed to.

"_Oh_. that's kind of a strange name..." he wonders, thinking out loud and frowning slightly. "Did her parents truly call—" he begins innocently before the ice cold voice of the Queen cuts him off, leaving a small cloud in front of her mouth due to the coldness that's emanating from her, filling the cell.

"No, _of course not_, but it's still related to her. And that closes the subject, I don't believe there's anything more you need to be aware of." she answers dryly, eyes still locked with his.

He takes a step back, wondering what's making her this upset, but still he doesn't understand at all.

You know nothing about her, silly ! he scolds himself, lifting his hands up in front of his face.

"Um, okay, that's fine..." he stutters, trying to find proper words to say not to be the one to be at a loss for words.

Truth is that there's nothing to say. What are they but strangers whose destiny once crossed eachother's ? None of them knows whether their ways will separate soon or remain related forever. Fate will be the only one to tell them.

She doesn't respond. But he can swear he's caught sight of a tear dropping from her eye and rolling down her cheek.

They're not close - both physically and emotionally - enough for him to ask what's bothering her. She might be facing some troubles with her personal life, perhaps with Anna, or with her Queenly stuff. Or maybe it was about that mysterious _cousin_ of her. Albeit he's internally burning of desire to question her about it, he feels like not mentioning it would be wiser. It would be _just_ wise.

He would've never thought her life could interest him so much one day. Now, however, it seems so obvious that something's playing on her mind that his envy to know about it is becoming uncontrollable. And he's going to find out. He's determined to find out, even it this decision reached an incredibly high level of stupidity. It is, because he perfectly knows how she might react to that. She will shove him away, exasperated, pin him against the wall, kiss him passionate—_NO_, yell at him not to put his nose in her stuff, because _it's none of his concern _- and it would be no matter of ending up his nose buried into a thick layer of snow this time❄ - and she might also freeze him to death - if she's really angry - and why not put him as a welcoming statue and an advertisement to traitors in the palace courtyard ? Okay, maybe _not_. She's not that cold hearted, she wouldn't go this far, would she ?

_She wouldn'_t. he tries to persuade himself that, **no**, _she isn't that cold hearted_.

His gaze slowly drops to look at her jawline, her neck - perfect -, her throat, her—a place that's not proper for his eyes - nor is it for anyone else's - to stare at. Fortunately for his own safety, she doesn't notice. At least he believes so. Then his gaze falls upon her left hand, where proudly lies - _he gasps_ - an engagement ring he hadn't noticed was there yet.

_Engaged ? To whom ?_

A flurry of questions invades his mind and it sorta cuts him away from the outside world for a while. His head's underwater and his soul starts to drown as the poisoning reality weights far too heavy for him to support.

_Engaged ?!_

And it shouldn't bother him_. At all. _Yet it does.

"Hey !" she snaps her fingers a few centimeters away from his face, pulling him back to the place where he currently _is_, and he hasn't even noticed she had come so close. "When will you learn to listen to the few people who actually accept to talk with you ?" he voice rings in his ears like the bells of the chapel he used to go on every Sunday.

Threatening.

_You'll end up in hell if you don't believe God always keeps a watchful eye on you, my dear._ his mother's smooth voice used to say to dissuade him from avoiding mass. And the bells sang the same lyrics, the same _threatening_ words everybody used to throw at him.

But _her_ voice is melodious, whatever she says and no matter how she does say it, unlike his mother's.

"I..." he carefully searches for words, _again_, but it seems she's not agreeing with him to let him do so.

"What's_ that_ face ?" she playfully asks, stifling a giggle and blurting out the words like it's food that's no more consumable while he's so badly looking for what he could reply to her first question he doesn't want to leave unanswered.

"Uh, what face, _that_ face ? It's hum... the one I always wear, I mean, it's..._ my_ face" he answers, slightly confused, irritated but stuttering, as always.

He can feel the heat coming up to his freckled cheeks, and yeah, it's embarrassing.

"Well then," she begins, a smirk he thought was his creeping on her lips. "Change it, honestly. It's frightening, and I'm serious, wearing a face like yours shouldn't be allowed." she snaps, her bright _mesmerizing_ eyes staring right into his, still smirking deviously.

Yes, she looks content of herself.

"Well, go tell this to my parents." he snaps back, proud of him for defying what was the initial goal to her reply - having the last word of their argument, of course -, but internally deciding that he won't go further with this conversation.

Instead, he thinks it's better to just take his courage in both hands and jump.

"You're engaged."

Her hypnotizing eyes widen at those words he believe she didn't contemplate he would be saying. He has noticed.

_Crap_.

It's just like she doesn't dare sparing a glance at her hand, like she simply fears breaking eye contact with him. Perhaps she thinks he'll jump on her if she deosn't look at him directly in the eyes. What more than a threat to anything that has ever moved has he always been ?

It's not natural, the way her wide blue eyes stare, her lips slightly parted, like she was about to burst into tears. It's a mix of pain and... something like deep sadness. It's odd, someone who's just engaged should be happy. Like Anna. She should be gullible, giggling all day for everything and nothing, but no. She's nothing similar to this.

In a second, and he doesn't know how long she's been staring, she straightens herself and clears her throat.

"Yes, I am."

The answer comes as simply as his statement has.

"To whom ?"

He spoke too fast, it almost feels desperate.

"That's none of your concern" she spits yet remains clam, narrowing her eyes at him, and it hits him like pure venom.

Here comes _this_ answer, the eternal perfect 'avoiding thing'. Of course it's _none of his concern_. And she clearly looks like a snake when she's like this, on the defensive. He isn't surprised no to have received any name. He shouldn't even have asked. But he will find out. Because she's not happy. And he wants to see her happy even if he's never done anything to help, because he has never been, and he doesn't want her to live the same life the both of them have lived forever.

_Here comes_ the _incredibly high-leveled stupid decision_. He still doesn't understand _himself_.

"Whom are you getting married to ?" he repeats, louder this time as he steps closer to end up mere centimeters away from her tiny body.

"Prince Naavi from Iolin." she finally answers after a few seconds of deep silence.  
>He frowns. She smirks, yes, but it still feels strange. It's <em>fake,<em> it's not something to laugh about.

"Iolin," he scoffs, feeling something deep inside he couldn't describe. "What's even that ?" he groans, and he didn't expect her to hear it.

"Oh, would _you_ happen to be jealous ?" she playfully inquires, wearing a victorious grin upon her features.

Yet it hides so much pain beneath.

Perhaps it is this, _jealousy. _He's never felt anything like this before.

"Jealous of a stranger, for a stranger. How ironic." she teases again and it only makes his frown deepen.

Yes, he _is,_ and what ?

"And by the way, Iolin is a small kingdom, really beautiful and warm, far south west." she declares as her back hits the wall.

"Well then..." he begins, mysterious. "There's something I need to do before you get married to this _Prince Naavi_." he states, taking a last step forward and pinning her forcefully against the wall behind her, his hands wrapped around her wrists.

Without giving her some time to protest, he leans in and crushes his lips on hers, kissing her fiercely, hungrily like a savage beast savouring its prey. When she gasps in surprise and tries to catch her breath, he slips his tongue into her mouth, pressing his muscular body further against her.

_The taste_... he focuses on her, wondering how he's managed to hold back the urge to do this for such a long time.

He had to remind himself to let go of her when he was full of her scent, of the taste of her whole mouth, her lips, her tongue, and when he notices that the both of them are completely out of breath.

Now she's staring at him, her eyes filled with icy tears reflecting her incomprehension. She might also have noticed the lust in his gaze, slowly replaced by sudden realization.

Slowly shaking her head, she narrows her eyes at him and runs past him, forgetting to close the wooden door behind.

He stands still, letting his darkest and most lustful desires overwhelm him, knowing that those are meant never to be fulfilled


	5. Going Back In Time

He's found her. At last. She's lying under a thin layer of frosted snow.

"Elsa..." he breathes, rushing toward her as fast as his legs can take him.

In a matter of a few seconds, he's kneeling beside her, his whole body weak from the long distance he's covered to find her. He slowly brushes the snow away from her tiny frame. He gently approaches his bare hands of her face, both having taken a light shade of blue from the striking cold out there. Yet he is reluctant to touch her, even if he cannot see what harm he could cause. He finally brings his fingers behind her neck, cupping her ear, and slowly lifts her up as he leans closer. He stops when he's hovering over her mere centimeters away and sighs in relief when he feels her breath on the skin of his cheek. Two of his fingers press right under her jawline, and he can't repress the bliss that invades him when he catches her pulse.

_She's alive_.

He could remain staying her forever in her company, alone in the snow, but he's well aware he has to bring her back to the realm she has to run everyday. She's not a mere woman of the village, no. She's a young monarch who has more duties he will ever have. She's a _Queen_.

Moreover, his reputation in Arendelle is bad enough, he doesn't need people suspecting him to have kidnapped their Queen or run away with her. And he deosn't want them to believe their ruler has fled again. And what for ?

No, the people would throw him away from the kingdom and forbid him to approach the two sisters ever again, slaughter him had he been even returning. And her to-be-husband, of all people ! He would obviously kill him.

He shakes his head to dismiss the thought of him being accused of something he - for once - hasn't done.

He cautiously lays her head over his shoulder and pulls her in closer to him, his arms wrapped tightly around her waist. Placing one hand around her shoulders and the other under her knees, he hesitates to lift her up, afraid of somehow hurting her again. Yet he knows he cannot stay here forever, so he finally lifts her in his arms, keeping her upper body on check.

"Sitron !" the silent void his brain has been stuck in is now broken by the the hoarse sound of his voice, just like the silence. "Come here buddy !" he calls into the growing blizzard.

_Is she causing this ?_

He doesn't even have to wait before he's able to hear his faithful friend arrive. Neighing joyfully, he rubbed his head against Hans' shirt, gently shoving him forward.

"Yeah, good boy Sitron... uh..." he stuttered, trying his best not to lose his balance.

_Elsa wouldn't be fond of ending up her nose buried in the snow again..._

Supporting her the best he can, he manages to mount on his horse, sitting her delicately onto his lap.

He's already seen that before.

_"Prince Hans ! Are you certain you really want to do this ?"_

_"I said no harm was to be done to her, and I thought I was clear !" he yells at the man, his gaze threatening. "It seems I wasn't..." he mutters, calmer._

_Both of the Duke of Weselton's men look down, surely cursing themselves for their foolishness._

_Hans' gaze softens when he looks down at the frail woman_**_sitting on his lap_**_. He can't come to recall having ever seen anything more beautiful than her one day in his life. Perhaps it is because she's the most graceful and gorgeous thing he's ever got the chance to lay his eyes on._

_"They wanted to kill you, dear Elsa..." he whispers into her ear, taking care not to let anyone hear this._

_It could bring him onto trouble. And he doesn't need that._

_She's not dead. That's what's relieving._

_"Faster, Sitron." he orders, gently kicking his companion's sides when the castle finally comes in sight. "We're almost there." he mumbles, sparing a last glance at the woman he's just saved the life of._

She still looks as gorgeous as she had on this day, when he's carried her back to Arendelle, months ago. Yet something is different. That ring, it's like it has changed her whole appearance, albeit it's mostly hidden all the time by the gloves she used to wear when feeling insecure. Now nothing's the same, he can feel his grasp on her loosening and she's getting out of reach forever, although he's never held her this close, because she's nobody's but herself's. And soon to be Prince Navi's. It disgusts him.

_That ring has nothing to do around her finger._

He frowns.

_How long has she known him for ?_ he questions the heavens seeking for an answer. _I though she was no woman to marry somebody she just - or didn't - met._

Silence.

Of course nobody here would reply.

_It means—_

An arrow shot righ to his chest would have the same effect. His gaze falls on her again, this so innocent yet so intelligent creature.

_What have I done ?_

As his horse keeps a slow pace, his fingers leave the riens to come to brush her cheek. The cold is striking.

He's never despised royalty and their stupid rules this much in his life. Not even when they decided so harshly of his fate.

Is it such a terrible fate ? To be stuck in the Snow Queen's palace ? He can't even tell now. But _her_ fate...

"What do you think of this, Sitron ?" he questions the one who's always replaced all the human friends he could've had during his childhood. " Should we really go back ?"


	6. High-Leveled Stupid Decision

"You... what ?" she angrily yells at him, hands balled into fists at her side.

"Elsa..." he groans, exasperated.

"No no no no, don't say_anything_ !" she commands as she lifts her hands up before her. "So, if I've understood correctly what you just told me, you've put the both of us into great trouble ! What the hell crossed your mind when you _decided_ to take me away !?"

"You were going to get married against your will !" he snaps without even thinking, instantly standing up.

"And I still am !"

This shuts him up. He stares at her, mouth agape. He slowly clenches his jaw, realizing what has just been said.

"What about the 'you can't marry a man you just met' thing ? he hisses trough gritted teeth while he threateningly leans in closer.

"That's _none of your concern_ !" she replies, just like she always does when she wants to avoid a topic. "I was also going to get killed _against my will_ if my sister hadn't appeared out of nowhere to stand between you and I !"

His eyes widen even more than he had though was possible, but he managed - God only knows how - to keep his jaw clenched.

"You didn't say that." he states, unable to believe the words that has reached his ears, seconds ago.

His knuckles have turned white, but he doesn't pay attention to them. Elsa smirks, and it feels kind of odd to see that on her usually placid face. He's rather accustomed to be the one who smirks at others, but _this_ catches him off guard as the words sink in.

"I did." she proudly declares, it doesn't sound like _she_'s is the one who's speaking right now.

"You perfectly know that I regret all that I did back then. You didn't need to remind me of that." he spits, his eyes are now staring at the ring he wants to throw away from her finger so badly.

"Yes, I do. But it's not helping me to forget that day. It's chained to me till the end of times. I can't ever forget it." she seriously answers, frowning.

He sighs.

"I simply wanted you not to waste a life I've almost taken away and that has been spared thanks to your sister." he mumbled, burying his hands in the pockets of his pants, completely unaware of the tone full of what they call sadness he's using.

He can't get too personal. She's the Queen. A Queen he attempted to murder.

"I'm taking you back. I guess we'll just have to say we went on a ride for the day." he gives up, turning back and marching to his horse.

"I didn't say I wanted to, though." she calls after him, her voice seems to be more relaxed that it first was. "But I_have_ to. That's a completely different thing. I'm already feeling remorseful for fleeing from the realm, _my_ realm, just like that." she confesses, and his expression changes.

She has opened up to him, and even if it's almost nothing, it isn't. It isn't nothing because she's talking to him about something that is _none of his concern_, anyway. Things like that mean the world, especially to him, when it comes from her.

He can't mess it up again. If she hadn't accepted him to stay in Arendelle, he would've got mercilessly killed by his brothers back home. She's given him a second chance, he's aware of that. He can never repay her for this, so at least he can keep what she's revealing to him to himself and not betray her, for once. Keep his mouth shut to prove he can be trusted to.

"I overreacted, you know."

"I did exactly the same, but I was panicked." he admits, memories of her lying under the snow flooding through his mind. "Thinking that something could be happening to you made me sickeningly worried."

"Let's go back home. We'll discuss of that during the travel. We wasted enough time."

He smiles.


	7. Freedom (Elsa's POV)

**Hey peeps !**

**OMG I'm sorry it took me so long again to write it. **

**This story is coming to an end soon, this is the 7th chapter out of 10 and I'll be done with writing these by the end of the day, so this time believe me when I say the following 3 chapters won't be up too late. **

**I will eventually write an epilogue if I want some things fixed or cleared, and I'm already appologizing because my ending will probably suck.**

**Enjoy reading anyway !**

(The Queen was known to be as cold as ice. Well, there was no more asking why, although she didn't seem to behave that way too much around him.)

The trip back to the castle has been mostly silent. When they have arrived, they have told the guard that they have gone for a ride together, so she could free herself from her queenly duties for a while and watch how the prisoner did his job.

"Elsa ! My dear." a voice calls from the front doors as the guard takes hold of the reins and gives them to Hans insistantly. "I was wondering where you've been, have you forgotten that we have to announce our engagement to the people ?"he says excitedly as she rolls her eyes, ignoring Hans who is still standing near while he takes her hands in his.

_And the Queen was back at being that cold ice sculpture._

"I know." she states bluntly and removes her palms from his grasp, too harshly perhaps albeit she has tried to be careful with the gesture. "But it can wait a little" _I'm not ready yet._

_Nor will I ever be._

"Why bothering to postpone something that can be done today, darling ?" he cuts her off, looking slightly irritated.

_Which part in _it can wait _haven't you understood ?!_

But what can she answer to that without seeming to be reluctant to marry him ?

Truth to be told, she is.

_My heart belongs somewhere else no man can ever understand._

Freedom is all she has craved to get, and now that she has finally reunited with her sister, has been accepted by her people and doesn't lock herself up out of fear anymore, there she is, about to be chained for the rest of her life to someone she doesn't even _like_.

Things end that way for royals. The people's sake before her own, she guesses. How she envies Anna at the moment, being free to do what pleases her when she wants it, marrying the man she loves because it won't have any impact on the realm. Free to get up late, free to wander around the town, free to travel with her lover in the mountain for months for _ice business_, she says.

_Free._

And that's all that matters. Her sister is happy now, thanks to the fact she was born after her and was able to find in her heart what to forgive her older sister for what she's done not willingly. And thanks to Elsa's unnoticed sacrifice for her happiness. But she has to stay quiet.

_God damn those bloody councilors..._

(And freedom is out of her reach again.)


	8. Ice Cold

**As promised, here comes the 8th chapter, and yes, it is rather short (more like REALLY short). I hope you'll enjoy it anyway ! :)**

**Less talking, more reading, now.**

What's that foreign feeling boiling throughout his body ?

_Anger ? Sadness ? Jealousy ?_

He stares absent-mindedly at the couple bickering mere meters away from him but seemingly not noticing his presence at all. He narrows his eyes at the older man - her to-be-husband, he assumes - and clenches his jaw.

_This is not what it seems to be. There's something odd underneath that facade._

She truly is cold as ice when she hides herself away behind the thick facade she has managed to build on her own for the past thirteen years. And it might not please that jerk of a prince who hasn't got a clue about anything that's happening beneath his very eyes. It seems so strikingly obvious for him that he catches his mind wondering how her future husband can not notice it.

The feeling of utter helplessness toward her situation is so unbearable. He cannot even help the one who has, albeit not completely willingly at first, given him a chance to redeem himself. Oh how he wishes he could help.

_That's none of your concern_, she would say.

Yet, can he merely watch her marry a man she doesn't have the slightest bit of consideration for ? _A man she just met_ ? It's blatant he hardly likes her either. There is only_lust_, and a overwhelming taste for the Crown, for undenied power and authority. How he wants to pierce his eyes right now, just so he would not see him lay _that_gaze upon _her_ever again.The boredom is clearly readable in those two blue sapphire eyes of hers as he speaks to her.

(And her life will be going to waste. It's already going straight to waste.)

"Ahem." the guard standing a few feet behind him clears his throat in a loud, unpleasant sound, reminding him that the horses won't go to their stalls by themselves.

He has no other choice but to comply. Although he'd appreciate very much to remain there and think of a solution for her hopeless situation, his powerlessness is blinding him.

_I can't do_anything_._

As he leaves the courtyard holding the reins of the two horses in his hands, it seems that he finally notices him and he can hear the Prince asking the Queen _who the fuck he is to stay dumbly listening to other people's private conversations_, and he would havu spun around and told him that he was _Hans Klaus Westerguard, a man who attempted regicide on his fiancée and her sister months ago_, and that _a private conversation should take place elsewhere but a public courtyard anyone has access to_, if it wasn't for the fact he was a future King while he was nothing but a dishonored Prince become an unpaid servant, and that he would most likely throw him harshly in the dungeons.

_Away from the light, away from the castle, his room, his job, away from__**her**__._

(She'll be taken away from him, anyway.)

He keeps on walking away instead, isn't it the best thing to do ?

"That's none of your concern," he can hear her reply flatly, yet she manages to keep a not-so-cold tone.

_How ironic_, he muses.

"Moreover, if you wanted this talk to be private, you should've waited for us to be in the library or in the meeting room." she snaps, and turns to leave without another word.

He can hear the piercing echo of her heels on the cobblestoned ground, and when it finally dissipates, an unexpected loud shout follows, and it seems to be adressed to him.

"Hey ! You, over there !"

He freezes.

**Author's Note :**

**Well, well...**

**Some man-to-man talk eheh.**

**Share your thoughts if you will to, it'd be gladly appreciated, along with constructive criticism**

**:)**

**I don't think I'll be continuing this story further than 10 chapters, some people asked me to but well, it doesn't really inspire me, I'm struggling to write the last chapter which should already be finished, and I truly believe this story doesn't make any sense. I'll think about it, but really, I'm not sure (if it even only matters to someone out there lol).**

**Love, and 'til next time !**

**Laura**___**Of Arendelle**_


	9. A Fate Worse Than Death

"What have you two been talking about ?"

He jolts upward at the sound of her melodious yet so inquisitive voice.

It has been hours he has been sleeping in the stables, laying still in the hay in Sitron's stall he has cleaned up after his ride back home with the Queen.

Her stare is cold as she is standing there in front of the stall, her hands on her hips. It can only mean she wants answers. More like _demands_some. And he wouldn't be the one to disobey her, albeit he does not know what he's supposed to tell her and what is to be kept a secret.

She sighs before his blatant lack of cooperation.

"He's forbidden you to come too close to me for his liking, hasn't he ?" she states blankly, clear-sighted. "He wants you to keep your distances, right ?"

He gulps. She knows her to-be-husband better than he can see through her.

"He—he did, yes." he stutters, taken aback by her sudden remarks while he stands up and exits the stall, not daring to turn his back on her, and finds himself mere inches away from her. "He is kind of... overprotective, if I may say—"

"He is _possessive_. That's a completely different matter." she cuts him off sharply, taking a step forward.

She is not one to be claimed like an object. He knows it far too well.

_She longs for freedom. She __**craves **__for it._

The feeling of loyalty and honesty he thinks he owes her catches him off guard.

He cannot keep his promise.

"Is it true that I will be sent back to the Southern Isles after the weeding ?" he unsurely dares to ask her, studying her closely as he continues, "Because... that's what he told me, though I fear I don't understand why he wants me to attend to your wedding."

"He doesn't want to." comes the flat answer, as simple as it is.

His brows furrow until they seem to form a single line.

"Then why on earth do I have to witness it ?" he inquires, his voice higher than he ever intented to make it sound.

"I just didn't want you thrown away overnight like a piece of shit." she answers, her calmness still odd to him.

She doesn't even seem to get mad at him shouting. She did this for him. Yet he knows not whether he'd rather be thrown into a ship cell and sail back to his kingdom without anyone noticing it or have to watch Elsa getting married to someone whe does not wish to spend any more time than needed with. A man she seems to loathe more than anyone else. Even more than him.

She looks utterly exhausted, and he assumes she is. Dealing with that asshole of her to-be-husband all day to convince him not to get rid of her could-have-been-murderer - that's what he is, isn't he ? - musn't be easy, especially with _that_man as her future husband, and _him_as her almost murderer.

He can't even say wether he is grateful for her fighting for him or not. Yet anywhere would be a better place to be than the Southern Isles.

From now on he knows he won't be living for long. But it isn't her business, she's not even aware of it the slightest. His best chance to remain alive would have been to_be thrown away overnight like a piece of shit._

On the other hand, having to live a lifetime far away from this kingdom he has grown to love, to feel like it is his own place he has finally found, far away from her without ever being able to come back or see her again is _a fate worse than death._

Cerulean blue sparkling eyes, flawless alabaster skin, delicate scandinavian features, light rosy cheeks, platinum blonde locks, a slender figure, tiny frame making it hard for anyone to think about anything but her when she's standing nearby.

And that jerk will get all of this. All of her.

(Is a lifetime devoid of you worth living ?)

He hopes that Prince realizes the chance he'll be getting to lay his eyes on such a pure beauty for every remaining day of his life. To wake up beside her, the first thing he'll land his gaze upon each single morning, a gorgeous woman, powerful and regal, who won't have a choice but to stay by his side.

"So I have to see you getting married to _him_." he concludes, his head hung low as he fidgets with his fingers.

"You don't know what is worse, do you ? I know what it is to be torn apart between physical or psychological pain. Physical pain leaves marks on one's body, and we all know they fade away sooner or later, at least the pain subsides. However, psychological pain often lasts way longer. Scars are deeper, eating our soul bit by bit." she pauses and glances straight into his eyes. "I just couldn't bear the thought of him treating you so badly."

Confusion follows the confession.

"Why ?"

She sighs. And Hans doesn't know what to expect. He can just hope she's not suffering like he undeniably is, although he does not wish to admit it. How can he explain he has grown so much accustomed to her presence, working for her, even in such a short amount of time ? An amount of time not significant enough to justify his obvious need of remaining side by side with her, a need of redemption he craves for. Well, not supposed to be.

"He doesn't have the right to treat people down. That's not what a King is supposed to do."

Yet the word still sends his head spinning. He could have been the one with the heavy Crown on his head. But the price... It wasn't worth it. Now he can say it, having taken a step back to get a proper analysis of the situation he has found himself in months ago.

It could have been so much better for the both of them, if only he had played his cards right. Whenever in her presence, he always feels glad his initial plans thwarted. But he can't uppress a hint of disappointment over himself for not having been able to woo her instead of trying to cut her head off her shoulders.

"Do things truly have to go that way ?" comes a question his lips burned to ask but that he didn't want to blurt out though.

Yet he just did it. And he wonders why he does always have to feel this conflicted about his emotions and his feelings.

Better leaving or staying ? Talking or keeping quiet ? Saying the truth of lying ? Is it care or jealousy ? Worry or over protectiveness ? Love or hate ? Friends or ennemies ?

"It does, Hans." she says sharply. "There is no way we can change our fate now. It is way too late to fix anything."

He's not the only one who doesn't want things to end up that way albeit they do not want the same things either.

"Well, if that is all you wanted to know, I'd be glad if you excused me, Your Grace. his voice his slow, and he bows formerly at her.

With that, he walks past her and leaves her alone in the stables, not even daring to look back at the one he would have loved to know better.

**One chapter left. I know. But I may write some sort of one or two shots later, if any of you is interested, that is.**

**Hope you enjoyed it anyway.**


	10. Lost Souls

**Heyyyy !**

**So here it is, the final chapter.**

**Hope you enjoy !**

There are always people who feel sad, depressed in spite of themselves, even during festive days. Birthdays, weddings, random parties... People who feel like the whole world is against them, chasing happiness away.

Souls that belong somewhere else without even knowing exactly where. Lost souls that cannot be reunited.

Colorful clothes hiding beaten flesh, forced smiles plastered on once genuinely joyful faces, tearful eyes hidden behind a veil, and gone unnoticed in the middle of such excitement from people that do not know what they're talking about.

Lonely souls, torn apart from the ones they cherish, care for, feel like having to protect even if that means putting their own lives in jeopardy, against all odds. Putting somebody other's needs before theirs at all costs. People that don't really understand how others can be happy while they seem to carry the world on their shoulders, a burden they cannot get rid of. While they are filled with regrets at hardly 25.

(And another life's going straight to waste.)

_"Elsa ?"_

_"You shouldn't be here." she says without bothering to look at him, her voice barely a whisper. "Your ship is departing in less than a hour."_

_"I know." he pauses, sucking in a deep shaky breath. "I simply wanted to bid you farewell, Your Grace." he explains trying his best to steady his voice as he bows deeply in front of her._

_He doesn't care whether she sees him or not._

_"And I also had to thank you—"_

_"What for ? she snaps, spinning around and meeting his eyes. "For sending you straight to your demise ?"_

_So, she knew about it._

_"No." he swallows the lump in his throat._

_Her bright blue eyes are welling up with tears he is well aware she does not want to display, but that are here anyway._

_"Then, what for ?"_

_"For allowing me a glimpse of hope before I fall back into the darkness._

_Her eyes widden._

_He does not want his voice to show any hint of sarcasm because there isn't any._

(A life without her isn't worth living, anyway.)

A sad smile crosses his lips as he recalls their last encounter.

Why this sudden change of behavior ? How has he grown so close to her without being allowed anywhere near her most of the time ?

She is the only one who has ever allowed him to hope for something better than anything his life had always been made of. The only one who doesn't back away anymore when they meet, albeit it has been a matter of seconds for the Gods to decide if she was going to live or die.

_Live or die._

He can now call himself the happiest man on earth for having the time to bid her goodbye, since he'll most likely never see the light of day ever again. His brothers don't want to make any fuss of it all. He had always been a disgrace to his family, well, that's all he had been told for his whole childhood, so he would leave this world exactly as he had arrived in it : as a nobody.

But she is the one who will be carrying the burden of his death on her shoulders added to her own, one she's been carrying for years. And that very thought is so excruciating.

He stares at the dark starry sky from the barred window of his cell. The sounds of the party taing place in Arendelle to celebrate the newly wed couple are nothing more than a blur as the ship sail further and furthar away from the realm.

_It is nothing more than a mere matter of hours now._

(And his soul will be wandering around here till the end of times.)

What about her ? The frail woman that is now married to a man she cannot even stand and who surely is fighting against him to prevent him from doing _it_ tonight and save the little dignity she has left. Because she's not ready yet.

_Nor will she ever be_. she has said.

They forced their Queen, a very powerful Queen, into an arranged marriage, the aftermaths will be disastrous. They don't know what they've gotten themselves into.

_Her soul will be wandering around here, too._

Her wedding has been a very awaited event which has gathered thousands of dignitaries and peasants from the kingdom and other countries. A day awaking happiness in their souls, but not in the two of them's.

_They will dread this day for the rest of their lives._

He won't ever forget the look deep into her eyes, minutes before walking down the aisle. It clearly reflected the fear of a lifetime wasted because of one stupid decision from the Council, and one from her to-be-husband. One that absolutely doesn't want him around, which is completely understandable. The truth is that their lives were bound to be wasted before they were even born. It was written already. Wasted, like so many others. Their souls lost in between painful memories and dark thoughts.

They could have shared so much more than each other's company. If the lords had allowed it, they could even have been _friends_. People just there to listen to each other like they had already done.

_**Farewell, Your Majesty.**_

_"We will meet again, Hans."_

_He can feel her gaze melting under his. Her expression softens._

_"In the afterlife, maybe, but I am sure we will."_

_"Why ? How can you be so sure of that ?" he inquires, inching even closer._

_She smiles. It's not more than a shy smile that quickly disappears._

_"If the Gods have put you in my way again, I don't think they did it to play with our souls. We were never supposed to meet again, yet we did."_

_"And here we are." he snaps, not even looking at her._

_The expression on her features is too hard to bear._

_"You know, this was going to happen, with or without you being sent back here. They want their King, so they don't even let us enough time to meet someone."_

_Her eyes are grey. Like the clouds in the sky, like the thoughts in their brain, like the feelings in their hearts. To each one this day somehow means the end of their lives._

Arendelle.

This place he has started loving even more than himself, even more the kingdom where he was born. Now it is nothing but a light in the background. A light he cannot see anymore. It is being swallowed up by the darkness of the night without moon. Stars. Stars are all his pupils can distinguish. And the last thing he'll see.

_Their lost souls will wander around this dreaded place as long as they aren't reunited. _

_Yet they will find one another again one day, as long as it may take._

(Because what goes better together than cold and dark ?)

**Author's Note :**

**Okay, **

**First, I want to say, I know I'm not good at endings, but stay stuned, now it is official, there will be a oneshot about what happens next, a few years or so later.**

**Hope you'll wait for it :)**

**Thanks to all those who read, even those who started but didn't continue, and those who will read the upcoming oneshot.**

**Please, share your thoughts about this story so far, I love to hear of you, and I hope to meet you again for others stories.**

**LOVE YOU ALL !**

**Laura**_**Of Arendelle**_


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